More OPPORTUNITY

[Red Rabbit]

The 2008 -2010 hunt guidelines are on the G&F website . Study these proposals carefully. More G&F medicine for increased OPPORTUNITY. Go to a meeting to express your reasoned opinion.

 

http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/hunt_guidelines.shtml

 

Propose up to 5 % of the whitetail tags as December. Last year the recommendation was to offer 5-10% in the late season. This year in 2007, about 9% of the tags are for December hunts in most units. So, let’s cut December tag numbers in half, crowd the early seasons even more to decrease harvest and validate increasing tag numbers (ie opportunity) further .

 

Keep Whitetail units 6a, 23, 30b, 31, 36c for alternative management units to harvest older age class bucks with up to 30% of the total harvest during the late season.

In 36C, 12% harvest in Dec. In 2005 16% harvest was in Dec. In 6a for 2006 16 of 76 deer were harvested in December for 21% of the total harvest. Does this mean that permits will be shifted from Oct and Nov back to Dec to more approach 30%?

 

Don't overlook that the November WT hunts could be cut to 7 days.

 

 

At least 2% of the general deer tags to juniors-only. Now, the recommendation is for at least 3% . Still need more Junior tags, in my opinion.

 

 

 

 

Is permitting the Kaibab archery hunts in the future? Laying the groundwork.

 

From page 9C of the 2008-2010 Hunt Guidelines:

 

“Archery deer harvest will be managed not to exceed 20% of the overall harvest in a unit. When archery deer harvest meets or exceeds 20% of overall harvest, the Wildlife manager will recommend reductions in archery hunt opportunity according to the following prescriptions, to include permitting harvest. Permitted harvest once prescribed will be managed to meet demand by weapon type.â€

 

(2006 archery data not available)

 

In 2005, archery harvest in 12a was106 and rifle harvest was 640, for a % harvest by archery of 14%.

 

However, in 2004, archery harvest in 12a was177 and rifle harvest was 416, for a % harvest by archery of 30%.

[HUNTMUP]

I agree with you... We really need to check this out a little more. Did I read that the archery Elk hunts will start having a split season (early and a late)? I realize that we currently have late elk hunts in a couple of the rim areas but the recomendations did not state as to which units. The way I read it is all archery elk bull units except for 1,9,10 and 23 will have a split season . When they did this "Survey" I really do not think that most people realized how it would be used against them. If they think they can justify a $121.00 Elk tag for a 12% success rate November archery bull hunt in say 7W or 6A or whatever, I think they are..... well I won't say!! I just can not believe that the place where I grew up and hunted my whole life is going to change so drastically almost over night. I think they should just leave it the way it has been and everyone just takes there chances with the draw (however unfair it is). If I thought for one minute when I answered that ..."Survey" that I would gladly pay more for a tag, that they would not only charge more but split the hunts to lower the quality AND add more tags, I would not have answered the same. Looks like more out of state hunts for me in the future. I wll still put in but only for the "Best" units and just wait the 9-12 years between tags.

 

Say Coosefan, How reasonable was that Alaska trip? Anyone looking to go out of state for Antelope or Black Bear??? I am serious!

[bowhuntinmaniac]

Nobody here cares what G&F wants to do with our hunts and tags??????

[111]

I believe G&F will get any plan they want passed whether the public wants it or not. Last year they asked the public if we should have November archery elk hunts, while cutting tags in September. I've never seen so many dissapprove of this proposal, yet G&F still are determined to get what they want. The split season idea for elk will increase opporunity but reduces draw odds for a decent hunt, and makes it harder to draw a quality tag overall. More hunters than not did not want December whitetail tags slashed in December, so the department goes ahead and slashes them. Kaibab archery deer and the rest of the State will be a draw, it's just a matter of when. They don't need to send out any more surveys, they should save their time. It looks as though they will resort to a management tactic to get what they want instead of surveys for archery deer, and the 20% rule will fit that bill. Still this rule doesn't state whether that after a archery hunt reaches 20% and goes to draw, will it be a draw for now on or does it go back to a no draw the next year until it hits 20% again. G&F know the majority of the public will reject a draw for archery deer, so they found a different way to go about it. If these proposals don't pass this year we will continue to see them pop up year to year until they do pass. Overall I think G&F has the hunter opportunity proposals backwards in how they are going about it. Hunter opportunity can be achieved with archery hunters much easier than rifle hunters. The part that confuses me is why rifle tags aren't slightly being reduced to coincide with a slightly higher archery deer harvest. Also allowing archery November elk hunts is not the way to go about hunter opportunity, that relates to opening up a December coues hunt in unit 42. Before the G&F takes their ideas too far I hope they realize that currently Arizona has quality, opportunity, and reasonable season dates. Our quality comes from being willing to wait for a hard to draw tag. Our opportunity is provided by OTC tags to keep hunter interest and entertainment while still taking few animals. The season dates are about as good as they get right now. What G&F wants will change all three of those in the wrong direction and make hunting Arizona less enjoyable in the future...

[Red Rabbit]

Mike, Did you go to the meeting last night in Flag? I was doing an introduction to archery training with some small youth last evening.

 

In rereading the guidelines last night, I noticed that the November Coues hunt would be shortened to 7 days from 10. One possible good thing is that the November Coues would be separated from the muley hunts in November with units that previously had both simultaneously, by moving the November Coues season to the end of the month.

 

Again proposing November archery elk? I thought this late season camping trip was ixnayed last time it was brought up. Any other states have this season?

 

Doug~RR

[DesertBull]

My emial input:

 

 

Hello,

 

As a long time hunter in Arizona, I am again disappointed in the direction the department seems to be forcing on us. We (hunters) already told you once that we are opposed to splitting the archery elk seasons into an early and late season. We would rather wait for the right hunt, than hunt every year in November.

 

I understand that you want to increase hunter opportunity, but your proposals are going to make it impossible to draw the early hunts, which are what the vast majority of hunters want the “opportunity” to hunt. AZ has the most sought after elk tags in the country, why mess with a good thing?

 

Do you really think you are going to recruit more hunters by sending them on little more than a cold November camping trip with low odds of harvesting an elk? If you were a new hunter, trying to determine if this sport is for you; would knowing that this low odds elk hunt would be the only elk hunt you could realistically draw on a consistent basis make you stick with it, or take up golf? What do you say to your son or daughter when they tell you, ”Dad, it’s too cold, we aren’t seeing any elk, this isn’t fun and I want to go home and check my text messages?” Nice recruitment tool.

 

What would recruit more hunters, A September weekend in the mountains of northern AZ, temps in 60’s, afternoon rain showers, a great campfire at night, waking up to bugling bulls and frosty meadows or A November hunt with temps in the 30’s, freezing nights, too cold to camp so you stay in a overpriced crowded motel room that smells like smoke and body odor? Meals cooked and enjoyed outdoors or greasy burgers and fries eaten in the cab of a pick up truck? Chasing bugling herds of elk or waiting in a butt cold blind or tree stand, hoping something…ANYTHING…comes along before you freeze to death?

 

Jeff Rogers

 

Gilbert, AZ

[111]

Doug, I didn't make the meeting, but I'm glad to hear that you are introducing archery to the young generation! Did they go into great detail about the proposed hunt structures? I also thought the Nov elk and split seasons would never be brought up again, but I assume when the department wants something they will find a way to get it. For the November coues hunt considering moving to the end of the month, IMO I think that would be a better hunt. I wonder why they want to seperate the coues from muley hunt, it seems the hunters are well seperated by elevation. It will be interesting to see how all these plans turn out in the future months.

[bowsniper]

I hate to be a pessimist, but I too believe that the AZ Fish Police will do what they want to do regardless of any public input. This “public input” is just a standard government process to cover themselves after they do what they want. I’ve been through this process with the forest service many times, and the result is always they same. They ignore public input, and pick their “preferred alternative”. That being said, everyone who can should still show up to the bogus meetings and give them an earful, just so they know that we think their new rules stink and are bad for AZ hunting.

 

Garth, are you going to make it to the BBQ Friday night? We’ll be there.

 

Mark

[bowhuntinmaniac]

Friday Night bbq?????? I guess I missed it................

[CouesWhitetail]

Just a reminder on the meeting schedule for these hunt guidelines. If you can't make a meeting, at least email or mail in your comments.

 

The PHX meeting is less than a week away! Who is going????

 

Pinetop, June 5, Arizona Game and Fish Department Pinetop regional office, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.

 

Flagstaff, June 5, Arizona Game and Fish Department Flagstaff regional office, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road.

 

Prescott, June 6, Yavapai County Supervisors Office, 1015 Fair Street.

 

Tucson, June 6, Arizona Game and Fish Department Tucson regional office, 555 N. Greasewood Road.

 

Safford, June 7, Safford City Hall Annex, 808 8th Ave.

 

Sierra Vista, June 7 Buena High School, 5225 Buena School Boulevard.

 

Mesa, June 18, Arizona Game and Fish Department Mesa regional office, 7200 E. University Drive.

 

Phoenix, June 18, Wildlife Building at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Road.

 

Yuma office, June 20, Arizona Game and Fish Department Yuma regional office, 9140 E. 28th St.

 

Kingman, June 20, Arizona Game and Fish Department Kingman regional office, 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road.

 

Payson, June 21, the Payson Inn (the night before the Game and Fish Commission meeting there), 801 N. Beeline Highway (Highway 87).

 

Page, June 21, the National Park Service Headquarters conference room, 691 Scenic View Drive (just off Highway 89 between the Denny’s and the Maverick).

[mattys281]

I am planning on attending and would like to suggest that if a group of us are going we should meet ahead of time and sit/speak together as group. What time is the meeting Amanada? I'll look for you there.

[CouesWhitetail]

all the meetings are being held from 6-8 pm.

 

There is also a meeting in Mesa the same night as the one in phx.

 

Amanda

[Ron G.]

As of now, I'm planning on going. Not sure if I'll be attending the phx or mesa meeting though.

[mattys281]

Mesa's closer to me, so if they're on the same night then I'm going to hit that one.

[TLH]

I'll be at the Phoenix meeting.